Witch Rescue
by moon-majik
Summary: Robin and the gang must rescue Alan's sister before she is burned at the stake for witchcraft. The rescue, and the adventures that occur afterwards, are related here. Based on the BBC's Robin Hood series, aired in 2006.
1. Chapter 1

_**Title:** Witch Rescue  
**Author:** Moon-Majik  
**Chapter:** One: The Rescue  
**Rating:** K  
**Synopsis:** Robin and the gang must rescue Alan's sister before she is burned at the stake for witchcraft. The rescue, and the adventures that occur afterwards, are related here. Based on the BBC's Robin Hood series, aired in 2006.  
**Disclaimer:** The Robin Hood characters do not belong to me. I am using them only for entertainment. Rebekah is my character._

* * *

"Witch!" The cries echoed around the clearing, reaching the group of outlaw's ears harshly as they huddled together underneath a large bush at the edge of Sherwood Forest.  
"Witch"  
Alan A. Dale moaned, burrying his face in his hands as a young woman was brought forwards towards the river, where a ducking stool was waiting, and beyond that, a large mound of firewood stood ready, struggling but bound. The cries of witch intensified as the slim youth was pushed onto the ducking stool.

"Thats her?" Robin Hood leaned forward, whispering to the distraught man. At his grim nod, Robin bit his lip and watched the proceedings with disgust, trying to work out the best way of going about the rescue they were planning.

There was a snap, as the rotting wood of the stool snapped at the added weight, and the girl tumbled to the floor with a small cry. The watching villagers did nothing except heckle and shout, insisting this proved she was a witch. The village elders hauled her to her feet again.

"Witch! Witch! Witch"  
"Throw her in"  
"Lets watch her float"  
"No" Alan cried, attempting to rush forward out of the bush, but he was held back by Will Scarlett and Little John. "Let me go"  
"Alan!" Robin hissed. " Alan, we will save her. But we must do it cunningly. Can she swim"  
"Yes" The emotional young man snapped. "Oh no Robin. Do not allow them to throw her into the water!"

There was a splash, and a sudden silence.  
"No" Alan's sob was smothered by his leaders hand over his mouth, as all the outlaws watched in horror. Robin's heart beating widley in disblieve. Had they waited to long?

"She floats!" Came the single cry, and soon it was taken up by all who were watching.  
"She floats! Witch"  
"Get her out"  
"Burn her"  
"Witch"  
"Robin" Alan moaned again. "Please, now"  
"Wait!"

The young girl had been pulled out the river, and even the outlaws could hear her gasping for air as her tormentors gave her no time for recoverery. The freezing water dripped of her as they hauled her towards the prepared bonfire, retying the bonds that had loosned due to the water.

They hauled her to the top of the bonfire, the village preacher and the towns leader, her struggling figure clearly visible between them as the sun rose in the back ground. The villages chant of 'Witch' got louder and faster as the two men tied her to the pole, and then died off instantly as the preacher turned to them and held up his hands.

"Good people of Rochdale! Here is the last of a family reknowned amoung our people for spawning devil worshipper. Lying is a sin, and those who Lie submit themselves to the devil. Her brother accepted the Devil in such a way, and the devil protected him from hanging. His sister shall not be so lucky!

Rebekah of Rochdale. You were accused of casting spells on the animals of Rochdale, and the crops of Rochdale, so that they would fail in the autumn after your Brother fled. We had no evidence to find you guilty, and so you lived under suspicion. A year later, every child under the age of five caught a sickness so terrible that they all died. You were again accused of inflicting this upon them."

There was a pause in the speech, and the outlaws turned to face Alan in shock. "This is what she is accused of?" Little John hissed. "This is bad, Alan"  
"She couldn't do such a thing" Alan insisted, not taking his gaze of the figure of the young girl. "We have to help her"  
"But what if they are right. She did do such things"  
"Theres no such thing as Witch craft, John" Robin sighed, clapping his hand on Alan's shoulder. "And we will rescue her. Here's my plan" and as the preacher continued his speech, he whispered what the outlaws were to do.

"Again, Rebekah, I had no evidence to proclaim you guilty. But then, evidence of devil worship and spell casting was found in Sherwood, and the evidence led back to you. At the very moment we cornered you in your house, the girl who found the evidence of the worship fell to the ground, shaking and shivering, crying "No, Rebekah, don't hurt me!Leave me!" And then she lay still. Dead. You have neither denyed or accepted these claims Rebekah. And as your silence led us to believe you were guilty, we carried out the ducking test.

The results of which lead us to believe you are a witch, and guilty"  
"She's a witch"  
"Burn her"  
"Devil Worshipper"  
"You killed our babies! Witch!"

"So, Rebekah of Rochdale, we give you one last chance. Do you repent your sins?"

"You will burn her if she repents"  
Robin walked out the trees, his bow resting on his shoulders.  
"Who are you"  
"My name is Robin Hood." There were mutters all around.  
"You have no business here, Robin Hood"  
"Agreed." Robin nodded. "Except, you are about to burn a young woman"  
"This is no young woman" The towns leader grabbed her face and turned it to Robin. "This is a witch! She dances with Satan and worships the Devil!"

"You have just said yourself, you have no evidence!" Robin protested, pushing through the crowd and standing at the foot of the Bonfire. The girl stared down at him, looking a little bewildered, tear marks streaking her face.

"We have all the evidence we need!" The townsman said. "Now, if you'll stand aside" He nodded to someone behind Robin, and the young outlaw turned just intime to side step a large man attempting to hold him back. Taking hold of his arm, he twisted, causing the man to land flat on his back, dazed.

While Robin had been defending himself, the preacher had swiftly set fire to the bonfire, and Robin was only alerted to this by a cry from Alan, still huddled under the bush.

"John! Much!" Robin cried, drawing an arrow and fitting it to his bow. His two friends, followed closey by Will and Djaq, rushed out of the cover of trees, weapons drawn, ready to defend their leader from the villagers.

As it dawned on the spectators that they were in the middle of an orchestrated rescue attempt, they began to stir into action and fight back. Believing it was their right to see this Witch burn, they fought with all their might, running back to their houses for weapons such as pots and pans.

Amidst the fray around him, protected by Much and John, Robin drew back the bow string. The flames had taken to the dry wood quickly, and were now licking the debris around the young girls feet. It had seemed that the girl had passed out in terror, as she hung limply in her bonds, her eyes closed.

Robin took careful aim, and fired two arrows in quick succession. The arrows shattered the bonds that tied her to the fire. Robin lept up onto the firy stack of wood, but not before she had rolled down a little way, closer to the flames.

Cursing, Robin pulled his hood up, glad of the little protection from the smoke, and pushed his way forward, doing his best to ignore the heat from the raging flames only a little way off. A spark landed on his wrist and searing pain flared for an instant as the hot fleck of wood burned into his skin.

He reached the girl, her unconsious face lit up by the flames only inches away, and which were already licking at her hand. Using his cloak, he wrapped her up, smothering the small flames that had taken hold of her wrist, picked her up and staggered off the bonfire, falling and stumbling until they both landed in a heap on the cool grass, Robin coughing.

Robin was hauled up by John, who hissed "We must go. Now!" Agreeing with his friend, Robin lifted the unconscious girl up, and sprinted, as best he could, for the forest. He was followed, closey, by Much, John, Djaq and Will.

"Split up!" He yelled so Alan could hear. "You know where to meet!"

He veered of to the left, the young girl still in his arms, Much close on his heels. Alan cast one look in the direction Robin had gone in, before Will pulled him to the right. John and Djaq ran straight on, dodging trees, and hearing the cries of the outraged villagers fade behind them.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ok Much" Even Robin was out of breath as he stumbled to a hault. His old friend leant agaisnt the nearest tree, panting hard.  
"What would I give" he muttered between breaths "for a rescue which didn't involve running away." 

Robin laughed, and lowered the girl he had been carrying to the ground gently. Much joined him as he brushed her brown hair out of her face.  
"So that's Alan's sister? She looks like him"  
"She looks barely twelve years old!" Robin exclaimed. "And they were burning her for being a witch"  
"Alan said she was fifteen Robin" Much reminded him. "She's considered a woman." There was a pause, as both men attempted to get their breath back.

"Robin..." Much asked hesitantly. "You don't think she did everything they accused her off, do you?" Robin looked up, ridicule on his face.  
"I've told you before Much. Witchcraft is the most idiotic thing I have ever heard of! Satan worship indeed! Do you think a little snipet of a thing such as her could possibly be able to cause children to die?" Much shrugged, not convinced.  
"They thought she did"  
"People will believe anything you tell them" Robin said. "Believe me. And Alan says she could not have done it. That ought to be enough for you"  
"Yeah, well, Alan isn't exactly reknowed for telling the truth, is he" Much pointed out. "Do you have any water left?" 

Without a word, Robin handed over his water bottle, and then sat back, his eyes Rebekah. Her left hand was badly burned where it had landed amoung the flames, but other than that and being unconscious, she seemed unhurt. He had felt for a pulse while they had been running, and had found it in her wrist, strong and fast.

"Come on Much" He sighed, clabouring to her feet. "Lets get to the cave. If we are much longer, Alan will raise half of Nottinghamshire looking for us."

"Shall I carry her, master?" Much offered.  
"If you want to Much, but she is no weight at all." Much bent down and lifted the girl with ease, grunting in surprise as he felt her bones even through the clothes she was wearing.  
"I wonder how long ago it was that she ate" he glanced at Robin, worry flashing in his eyes, not for the girl in his arms, but for his friend who was waiting for them back the cave.

------------------------------------------

"Where are they" Alan hissed, pacing up and down. John, Djaq and himself and Will had been back at the cave for a while, had gotten a fire going outside and were now huddled around it, waiting for the return of their friends.

"They went left, thats the longest route" Will tried to soothe him. "They will be back soon"  
"Whats the story with your sister Alan?" John was the one who asked the question that they had all been wondering. The man sighed.

"Rebekah. She has been under suspicion of being a witch since she was a child. You know how children are." He shrugged helplessly. "When our parents died, we had to survive anyway we could. I'm older than her by many years, and so was allowed to live in Rochdale as an adult, with Rebekah as my charge.

"Lying, stealing and poaching was the only way I could provide enough food for us to survive, as my father had not trained me in any skill and I couldn't find a job with a steady income. And when the Sheriff took over it became worse.

"But you may have noticed, Rochdale is religious, and suspicious, and the preacher there soon managed to turn the village agaisnt me. I was to hang in Rochdale, but escaped and found my way into Sherwood. And from there, you know the story. Rebekah was left on her own, a girl of only ten. I tried to sneak back to find out her fate from time to time, but never managed to catch glimpse of her."

As he finished speaking, there was a whistle from behind a tree, and Robin and Much appeared, running down the sloping bank towards them. Alan jumped to his feet.

"Robin"  
"Shes alright Alan. Just the shock I think." He smiled as Much gently lay Rebekah on the ground, close to the fire. Alan dropped to the ground next to her.  
"Her hand"  
"I will do what I can for the burns" Djaq stood at his shoulder. "But they do not look too serious. Well" she took a second look at the burnt hand. "In any case, they could be far worse."

As the saracen deliberated over the wound, Rebekah's eyes flickered open, and her head turned to stare at the fire. As the flames danced infront of her, she attempted to role away, her body contorting in panic. Alan reached out and gathered her in his arms, turning her head away from the fire, rocking her in an attempt to calm her down. The other outlaws watched, Much pouring water on the fire. There was a loud hissing sound as the fire died down.

Eventually, Rebekah's breathing slowed, and Alan released her.  
"Rebekah" He made hand movements as he talked, exagerating the movements his mouth made. "You are safe now! I am here. Everything is alright"  
She burried her head on his shoulder, but he pushed her gently away.

"Djaq is going to help your hand. Alright?" She nodded, and made the similar hand movements back, grunting a little. Alan laughed and shook his head.

Robin frowned at the exchange, glancing questioningly at Alan.

"Rebekah is a deaf mute" Alan explained. "Its one of the reasons they were so quick to place the blame on her. That, and she is left handed." 


End file.
